The audience gasped as the golden light enveloped Max. At first, his shoulders broadened, and his limbs lengthened. His shoes, once comfortably snug, tightened. Max glanced down, eyes wide, as his feet expanded, pushing against his sneakers. The fabric strained, then tore, the soles splitting open to reveal rapidly growing feet.
“Mom, Dad, what’s happening?” Max’s voice, high-pitched with childhood innocence, began to deepen and crack. His jeans, now several inches too short, pulled taut against his growing legs. Seams popped, and tears appeared along the fabric as his body stretched and widened.
Sarah gasped, clutching Lily closer, her eyes fixed on her son. “Jack, do something!”
Jack, equally stunned, could only watch as his son transformed. Max’s shirt strained against his chest and back, buttons popping off one by one, flying in all directions. His sleeves receded, exposing the rapidly developing muscles of his arms. Fine hairs sprouted along his forearms, and stubble appeared on his chin and upper lip.
“Max!” Emily and Jake finally looked up from their phones, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Max’s face, once round with boyish charm, took on sharper, more defined features. His jawline became pronounced, and his voice settled into a deep, resonant tone. He raised his hands to his face, feeling the coarse stubble that had grown seemingly in an instant.
His movements became awkward as his center of gravity shifted. His hands and feet, now large and adult-sized, struggled to find balance. He stumbled forward, the remains of his shredded clothes hanging off his now-adult frame. The once bright-eyed 8-year-old now stood before the audience as a man, his appearance mirroring that of his father, Jack.
The transformation continued. Max’s hairline receded slightly, and faint lines appeared around his eyes and mouth. His hands grew calloused, and his voice deepened further. His clothes, now entirely too small, tore and fell away, leaving him standing in remnants of his childhood attire.
Jack finally found his voice, though shaky and filled with disbelief. “What did you do to my son?”
Elowen met Jack’s gaze, his expression serious. “You asked for proof, and I have provided it. Do you still doubt the power of magic?”
Max, now towering over his younger siblings, looked down at his hands, his voice a deep echo of his childhood self. “Dad, Mom, what do we do?”
Sarah, tears streaming down her face, turned to Elowen, her voice a desperate plea. “Turn him back. Please, turn him back.”
Elowen’s smile returned, gentle and reassuring. “I can reverse it, but only if you truly believe in the magic that surrounds us.”
Jack, his skepticism shattered, nodded vigorously. “We believe. Just... bring our son back.”
Elowen’s eyes twinkled, but he didn’t raise his hands. The golden light continued to envelop Max, his transformation ongoing. His body matured further, his features now mirroring Jack’s. The audience watched in a mixture of horror and fascination as Max reached his father’s age, standing as a mirror image of Jack.
Elowen’s voice echoed through the theater. “And so, dear friends, reality bends and twists in the presence of magic. Let this be a lesson: never doubt the extraordinary.”
The cliffhanger left the audience and the Thompson family in stunned silence, the fate of Max hanging in the balance as the golden light shimmered around him.
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